Brave New World
by Angelustatt
Summary: Companion piece to Beneath The Surface.


There's a storm coming. You can feel it in the air, vibing through the crowd tonight, through the mass of hormonal cavemen that paw and grope you as if you were a mere slab of meat without feelings. It's as if the whole place has been sprayed with testosterone, the smell of sweat and muscle hangs in the air, so thick it's almost choking.

Their talking trash, talking about killing the mutants and freaks, laughing about the guy that was killed tonight. You've seen the news, watched the footage of the battered body hanging by it's feet and shed a tear for a man you barely knew. He was a friend of Alec's and you thought he was nice. Now he's dead for what he was, nothing more.

A warm hand touches the small of your back and you spin to see Alec behind you, hollowed out, his eyes lost, elsewhere. Without a word, you take his hand and head for your corner, your tiny safe haven in this den of demons and strangers.

" You've seen?"

You nod, not trusting your voice as a lump forms in your throat. This has hurt Alec. Angered him fiercely. There is no place in this world for his kind and it scares the hell out of you for what that says about your future. For six months now, your boy has come to you, trusted you, made you feel real again.

" I came to say goodbye. You can't risk being seen with me...not now. Everything's going to hell." His voice his husky, as though he's doing his best to keep it level. Your heart is pounding in your chest, your stomach in knots. You always knew this day would come, but that doesn't make it any less painful. Just because you're a dancer? Doesn't mean you don't fall for the customer sometimes and with Alec? You fell hard.

He knows it. His hands are resting on your hips, his thumbs playing up and down idly as he holds his emotions at bay. You watch as one by one, he raises his walls, closes himself off. It easy to lie to yourself and say it's no big deal, but the truth of the matter is, this moment is more about him than you. You ache for what he must be feeling, for the loss of a friend, for the uncertainty and fear he has all around him.

" I'd better go. " He slips a c-note into your belt, making a show for the crowd and the scum you work for. Pulling you in at the last minute, his lips envelop yours and set off a fire in your belly that brings tears to your eyes. His breathe is warm against your ear as he whispers to you, " Stay safe..."

Slipping through the crowd like a phantom, he's gone in seconds and you're left to wonder if you'll ever feel the way he made you feel again?

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" Tell us about the mutant and you can go home."

The cell is cold and there's a stench you'd sooner not think about. How many days have you been here? Did anyone see them grab you from the club? Does anyone care that you're not around? You haven't spoken to your sister in almost a year, so there's not much hope there.

The blow stuns you for moment, pain exploding through your cheekbone, your jawline. You bite down on your lip, tasting blood. Closing your eyes for a moment, you can see Alec smiling, can feel his hands on you as you dance for him and him alone.

" Just help us catch the mutant and it's all over. "

The voice is soft and sweet, too sweet. Opening your eyes again you see the man before you watching you with predatory eyes. He's a cop, but not like any you've met before. The Transgenic rebellion has divided the city in half. The cops are trying to ultilise any leverage they might have to get to the mutants, the freaks, the souless animals living in their city. It's their words, but they cut like a knife. They don't know Alec, they didn't know Biggs.

You manage to get enough blood and saliva together to spit in the cop's eye. His snarl is warning enough of the pain to come and by the time he's done knocking you around, you're barely conscious.

If there is one good thing to come out of this? It's that you know Alec is safe. You know that before everything went to hell and Biggs died, that Alec was beginning to find his way, find his place in the world. His Max was showing him the way, being the friend he had needed all along.

It gives you peace to know that. Nothing matters anymore, they can do what they want. You've never been stupid enough to think you'll get out of a situation like the one you're in now.

The soft snick of the door opening and closing almost misses your hearing, but the savage, brutal sound of flesh hitting flesh doesn't. A body hits the ground near you, then suddenly, you've been picked up off the floor, cradled in arms that you could never mistake in a million years. Tears track down your face and you bury your head against Alec's chest, your throat too dry, too cracked to make any coherent sound.

" It's alright...I've got you. You're going to be ok. I'm here now. "

Somewhere along the way, you pass out and the next thing you hear, is the soft whisper of voices. Lots of voices, male and female. Some are hidden within a snarl, or a hiss.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself on a bed, your wounds dressed. Strange faces are all around, the mutants the news was so afraid of. The so called monsters. But as you look from face to face, you see nothing but fear, suspicion of a unknown face in their midst.

Alec hovers next to protectively, his eyes burning with regret and concern. " Hey..."

" Hey yourself.." Your voice is the sound of dry leaves, your ribs on fire despite the bandages. But none of that matters, because he's there. You kept your mouth shut, you kept your boy safe from the world that wanted to hurt him. No one needs to tell you where you are. Terminal City...the place humans fear to tread and the Transgenics have called home. You sheltered your boy from the world and as he gathers you into his arms gently and covers your lips with his, you know it was the only choice you ever had.

The world had no place for the boy you love...so he found a world that did. A world you can both be free in.

The end...


End file.
